JULIA Roberts’ troubled half-sister Nancy Motes reportedly tweeted: “Just so you all know ‘America’s Sweetheart’ is a B***H” just weeks before she died of an apparent drug overdose.

Motes, who was found dead in a bathtub on Sunday in Santa Monica, claimed her famous Hollywood star sister had abandoned her.

On January 19, Nancy reportedly wrote: ‘So my ‘sister’ said that with all her friends & fans she doesn’t need anymore love. Just so you all know ‘America’s Sweetheart” is a B***H!!’

Motes, writing under the Twitter handle @Dabbs76 followed up with increasingly bitter tweets, according to the report, writing: “Do you want to be a fan of someone so cruel? She’s not even that good of an actress. Happy you totally F***ed with me?

“I must admit I maybe going to far … But I never been so angry in my life. I’m actually a pretty easygoing, peaceful person.’”

Nancy Motes on Twitter. She later deleted the tweets.Source:Twitter

A few days later, she is said to have written: “Feeling blessed, even though I’m sick as a dog! I’m very grateful that I have my loves family, since my own family has abandoned me.”

Motes had described last year how she had battled with obesity and depression and felt that Roberts had taunted her over her weight, prompting her to undergo weight loss surgery.

Troubled ... Julia Roberts’s half-sister Nancy Motes was found dead in a bathtub from an apparent drug...Source:Supplied

Her following tweets reportedly appear to unleash even more anger at the August: Osage County star.

“I must be grateful & not hateful. I must forgive. But Damn that is a REALLY hard thing to do sometimes, right?!?!”

In October last year Motes also spoke about a family rift, reportedly tweeting: “It’s a shame when you get more support from strangers than you do from your family. I can’t wait to officially belong to another family!”

Despite this, she admitted to still being close to her and Roberts’s mother Betty, writing: “So glad to have the support & love of my friends & mom!”

The tweets, which are reproduced on Mailonline.com have been removed from Motes’ twitter account.

Dead sister: ‘America’s sweethea...Source:AP

In promoting her film August: Osage County about a dysfunctional family, Roberts was asked about whether her own life experiences informed her character, she replied “Sadly or greatly, yes, they did.’’ she said.

‘’There are those members of our family that are the kind of loving triumphs of heart that pull you forward and those that remain forever unnamed … that just try to beat the f--- out of you,’’ she said.

Roberts and Motes had different fathers: Nancy’s dad was Michael Motes and Julia’s is the late Walter Grady Roberts.

Motes, 37, who was due to marry her fiancé John Dilbeck on May 17, was found dead in a bathtub of a suspected drug overdose on Sunday.

On Monday, her family said in a statement to People, “It is with deep sadness that the family of Nancy Motes … confirms that she was found dead in Los Angeles yesterday of an apparent drug overdose. There is no official report from the Coroner’s office yet. The family is both shocked and devastated.’

Roberts has not commented over the death of her half-sister and pulled out of an expected appearance at an LA Oscar lunch on Monday. She also cancelled an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live.

Next generation ... Actress Emma Roberts is yet to comment on the death of her aunt, Nancy Motes.Source:Getty Images

Lieutenant Fred Corral of the Los Angeles County Department of Coroner told Us Weekly that Motes was found in a bathtub, with prescription and non-prescription drugs found on the scene. “We’re taking it as a suicide, not a drowning,” Corral said.

Last August Motes described her battle with obesity and depression in an interview, saying she always felt like an embarrassment to Julia because of her weight.

Motes, who once weighed nearly 163 kilos before her decision to undergo gastric bypass surgery in June 2010, told The Sun last year, “It makes me feel incredibly hurt and very sad.”

“When you’re in a family of very, very exceptionally beautiful people it’s intimidating.

“I think that growing up as ‘Pretty Woman’s little sister’ has definitely made me try to see the person inside and not the person outside. A lot of my life I felt judged for my weight.”

Motes said Roberts wasn’t supportive over her battle with obesity: “When I was in high school and she was an adult, she would just let me know that I was ‘definitely overweight’.

“She would make it quite clear to me and in a not so nice manner.

Famous family ... Actor Eric Roberts with his stepson singer Keaton Simons in 2010.Source:AP

After Motes finished school, she followed her sister to Hollywood in 1995 with dreams of becoming an actor.

But she said Roberts was not supportive: “Julia did not want to see me go down that path, mostly because I was overweight.

“My weight has fluctuated my entire life. So I just got a lot of criticism from Julia, which was very discouraging for me.

“I did a lot of auditioning, a lot of waitressing, then really could not afford the cost of living, so I went back to Georgia and focused on doing more things in theatre.”

Motes added she was not sure if Roberts would be at her wedding, explaining she still hoped to repair their relationship, “It’s a work in progress, it’s not going to be fixed overnight. Nor do I think it’s going to be fixed by me just getting skinny.

She added, “My family love each other fiercely, we’re really not different from any other family. I love Julia absolutely and I have no doubt she loves me.”